The transition from Spain’s outgoing Socialist government to the new conservative administration has been marred by an apparent lack of openness on both sides about the public accounts. This does not auger well for Spain’s political horizon or its economy.

The general election campaign has been deeply uninspiring, but the result of the November 20 vote will seal the dramatic transformation of Spain’s political map. Anything less than a parliamentary majority will be a failure for conservative Mariano Rajoy.

The man almost certain to win the upcoming election is refreshingly open in an interview with the US newspaper and in which he discusses Spain’s economy, its politics and his own image. His message: Trust me, I’m an ultra-confident moderate.

Usually when voters go to the polls they have an idea about competing politicians’ policies, and only a vague idea about which of them is going to win. But when Spaniards vote in early elections in one month’s time, they will know, almost for sure, who will win, though they’ve got only the faintest clue as to what that might mean.